Toaster



E. J. ROHNE March 7, 1933.

TOASTER Filed Feb. 1?, 1930 2 Sheet-Sheet .1

, .INVENTOR EVEN anew-ms BY F r I TTORNE Yd March 7, 1933.

E. J. ROHNE TOASTER Filed Feb. 17, 1930 2 sh ets-sheet 2 Fla. 3

. INVENTOR EVEN J; EOHNE BY &

Patented Mar, 7, 1933 v UNITED STATESN'IPATENT OFFICE EVEN J. ROHNE, OFMINNEAPOLIS, MINNE8OTA, ASSIGNOR TO WATERS-Gm COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS,MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA TOASTER Application filed February17, 1930. Serial No. 429,075.

This invention relates to improvements in .ing 2 as a heating chamber,the bottom of electrically heated toasters, and also cookers, the casingbeing closed by the top wall of in general, and among other thingsprovides, the base casing 1. The casing 2 forms a means for limiting theamount of air which chamber within which are arranged .two '5 isadmitted to the cooking chamber during a plate-like heating elementmounts, general- 55 cooking or toasting operation, to the endlydesignated 34 which are spaced as best that less air be heated and,therefore, less shown in Figure 3, to divide the casing 2 current beconsumed during a given heating into three vertically elongated compartpriod. Means are also provided whereby a ments, two laterally arrangedcompartments limited through-circulation can be main- 56 and a centralfoodmeceiving compart- 60 tained without burning the toast. The inment.Each of the heating elements in vention includes constructions providingfor cludes a mica sheet having the usual heatthe limited admission ofair into the heating ing wires mounted thereon, and these elechamber andthe circulation of this air in a ments are so disposed as to formbaffles. '1nanner to-distribute it along the surfaces of The top edge ofeach sheet engages the top 65 the article to be cooked, by motion downofthe casing 2 and the vertical edges enwardly around the bottom of the,bathe-like gage the corresponding vertical walls of the or partitioningheating element, and upcasing. The lower edges of the sheets are wardlythrough the cooking compartment spaced from the bottom wall of the cas-50 and outwardly through an opening which ing, or in this instance formthe top wall 70 serves for the introduction of the article. of thecasing base 1. The two opposed ver- Means is also provided forsubstantially pretical walls of the casing 2, from which are ventingentry of air adjacent the lower porspaced the faces of greatest area ofthe heattion of the heating chamber. ing elements, are provided withopenings 13 Features of the invention include the deand 14, in thisinstance a single horizontal tails of construction relating to thecircularow of openings, for each vertical side, see tion feature, alongwith the ideas of means Figures 1 and 2 for the row formation. A forcirculating the air in the manner set single opening of the proper areamay be forth to accomplish proper cooking, with a employed. Theseopenings are arranged i substantially reduced amount of current, and ata level above the slot-like openings 7 and 80 obtain evendistributiomof'heat throughout 8 formed by spacing the lower ends of thethe surfaces to which heat is applied. heating elements above the topwall of the Features and advantages of the invention base, but arearranged below the level of will be set forth in the description of thethe top of the casing 2-. The top of the drawings forming a part of thisapplication, casing 2 is provided with a substantially and in saiddrawings: centrally arranged slot-like opening 12 Figure l "s a verticalsection illus r g through which the article to be, cooked is t angemento the food-car ying s pintroduced. This opening forms part of port; Ythe air circulating system, and is elongated 40 Figure 2 is a plansection on line 22 of in a direction parallel to the face sides of 90Figure 1; illustrating the partitioning arthe heating elements.rangement of the heating elements; and It will be seen, by an inspectionof Fig- Fi ure 3 is a vertical section on .line 3-3 ure 3, that theheating elements are so arof Flgure 2 further illustrating thearrangerang d as to caus air (when th h ating ment of the baffling andpartitioning eleelements are operating) to be taken in at 95 ments aswell asthe main feature of this inthe openings 13'-14, and drawndownwardvention which relates to themanner of cir- -ly and through-thespaces 7 and 8, to rise culating the air. at the opposite sides. of theheating ele- The device provides a substantially closed ments into thespaces 9-10. at opposite base casing 1 'upon which is'mounted a cassidesof the article to be cooked. The article to be cooked is held spacedfrom the heating elements by a series of U-shaped grid-forming loops 11,and the upward circulation of air is between the heating elements andthe article to be cooked and outwardly through the opening 12. Meansgenerally designated 15 is provided Ior supporting the article to becooked and for raising it through the opening 12, for removal from thecooker or toaster. Part of this structure forms no part of the presentinvention. A feature of the structure which does form a part of thisinvention, relates to the manner of connecting the movable support andoperating it so that the least possible quantity of air is admitted atthe lower part of the heating chamber. This means, claimed herein,includes elements which are ivoted at points 16 to a bracket held by oneof the vertical walls of the casing 2. These elements are operatedsubstantlally in the manner of lazy tongs by means of a link 18 passingthrough a small opening 17 in the top of the base 1. This link ispivoted at one end to the lowermost of the lazy tong elements, and itsopposite end is pivoted to one arm 19 of a lever which is pivoted at 20to a bracket 21 carried by the top wall of the base 1. The other arm 23of the lever extends through an opening 22 in the top of the base, andis provided with a suitable finger piece 24. On depression of the leverto the point shown in dotted lines, the food elevating device assumesthe position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1.

it is to be noted that the arm of the operating lever 23 does not passthrough a vertical wall of the casing 2, but downwardly through theopening 22. lit will be further noted that the link 18 passes through asmall opening 17 In this way, substantially no air is allowed to enterat the bottom of the casing 2, so that the through-circulation of air issubstantially controlled by the openings 13, 14 and 12. It has beenfound by tests, that by limitmg the uantity of admitted air the timerequired or cooking is decreased, and the cooklng operation isaccomplished with less current consumption.

All details of construction are claimed with the exception of the lazytongs feature pf the support, but the invention includes the arrangementof the support-operating lever, and the link connection 18 by which thesupport can be operated with the admission of only a minimum amount ofair'at the bottom of the heating chamber, and without passing the leverthrough a vertical wall of the casing 2.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the class described comprisng a heating chamber havingair intake openings in its vertical walls, and heating element supportsarranged 'to compel'the air entering said openings to circulatedownwardly beneath the heating element supports and then upwardlybetween them, the top wall of the chamber having an opening permittingintroduction between said elements of an article to be cooked, andfacilitating upward circulation of air, said openings constitutingsubstantially the sole means whereby air is admitted to or expelled fromthe heating chamber.

2. A. device of the class described comprising a heating chamber havingheating element supports dividing the chamber into two outercompartments and a central compartment, the outer walls of the outercompartments having air intake openings, said supports being arranged'tocompel the air entering said openings to circulate down wardly beneaththem and then upwardly through the central compartment, and the top wallof the chamber having an opening in opposition to the centralcompartment permitting introduction between the supports of an articleto be cooked, and facilitating exit of heated air from between thesupports said openings constituting substantially the sole means wherebyair is admitted to or expelled from the heating chamber.

3. A. device of the class described comprising a heating chamber havingheating element supports dividing the chamber into two outercompartments and a central compartment, each of two of the outer wallsof the outer compartments having a row of air intake openings arrangedat a level well above the bottom of the heating chamber, said supportsbeing arranged to compel the air entering said openings to circulatedown wardly beneath them and then upwardly through the centralcompartment, the top wall of the chamber having an opening in oppositionto the central compartment permitting introduction between the supportsof an article to be cooked, and facilitating exit of heated air frombetween the supports, said openings constituting substantially the solemeans whereby air is admitted to or expelled from the heating chamber.

4. A device of the class described comprising a heating chamber havingair intake openings in its vertical walls and heating elements supportsarranged to compel the air entering said openings to circulatedownwardly beneath the heating element supports and then upwardlybetween them, the top Wall of the chamber having an opening permittingintroduction between thesupports of an article to be cooked, meansbetween the heating element supports for supporting an article, andmeans for movin the support to remove the article, no part 0% whichmeans passes through a vertical wall of the heating chamber, saidopening constituting substantially the sole means whereby air isadmitted to or expelled from the heating chamber.

5. A device of the -class described comrising a vertically disposedheating chamr, having heating elements spaced therein to divide thechamber into two outer and a central compartment, the edges of theheating elements engaging all walls but the bottom wall, but beingspaced from the bottom of the chamber to provide for intercommunicationbetween the compartments,- and openings in the walls of said chamberadjacent the top of the outer compartments for permitting the entry ofair into the outer compartments, for circulation beneath the heatingelements and upwardly through the central compartment, the, top wall ofthe chamber being open above the central compartment topermitintroduction of the article to be cooked, means within the centralcompartment for supporting the article to be cooked, and means foroperating the support to remove the article after cooking, said meansincluding a lever accessible at the outside of the chamber but notpassing through the vertical wall thereof.

6. A device of the class described comprising a heating chamber havingan openmg .at'its top to receive the article to be cooked, a foodsupport, .a heating element support one at each side of the foodsupport,

and acting as circulation bafiles and having only their bottoms spacedfrom any wall of the chamber so as to compel circulation therebeneath,the heater faces of said supports being opposed to and spaced fromcorresponding faces of the outer walls of the chamber, each wall'soopposed having means for admitting a limited amount of air, thefood-receiving opening and the last means forming substantially the solemeans for entry and exit of air into and out of said cooking chamber.

7. A device of the clam described comand opposed thereto, aheating-element support one at each side of the food support and openingand acting as circulation baflles and extending downwardly from the toptoward bottom and spaced only fromthe bottom .wall of the chamber so asto compel circula-- tion beneath their bottoms only, and opposed to andspaced, from corresponding vertical outer walls of the chamber, eachwall so opposed-having a single row of air inlet openings for admittinga limited amount of air, the food-receiving opening and the lastmentioned openings forming the sole means for the entry and exit of airinto .and out of said cooking chamber.

9; A device of the class described comprising a' heating chamber havingan open- 7 ing at its top through which the article to be elementsupports for limiting the entry of air, the supports being so arran edthat the entering air is caused to travel. ownwardly at the outer sideof each of the supports and upwardly between the supports and past theheaters thereon toward said food-introduc- .ing opening, said openingsforming the sole prising a heating chamber having a central openingatits top to receive the article to be cooked, a food support, a heatingelement support one at each side of the food support and laterally ofthe opening and acting as circulation baflles and extending downwardlyfrom the top toward bottom and having their bottoms only spaced from anywall of the chamber so as to compel circulation therebenea'th, theheater faces of said sup-- ports being opposed to and spaced fromcorresponding faces'of the outer walls of the chamber, each wall soopposed having means for admitting a limited amount of air, the

food-receiving opening and the last mentioned means formingsubstantially the sole meansfor the entryand exit of air into and out ofsaid cooking chamber. 1

8. A device of the .class described comprising a heating chamber havingan open,

ing at its top to receive the article to be cooked, a food support belowthe opening

